October 6 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Proverbs 3:1-26:

¹My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
²For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
³Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
⁴So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
⁸It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
⁹Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
¹²For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
¹⁴For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
¹⁹The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
²⁰By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
²¹My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
²⁶For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Devotional

That was good advice that David the king gave unto his son Solomon, when the latter was to follow him upon his throne. What did he say unto him? This: "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." It must have made a deep impression on him; for later he gives a similar advice. He writes: My son, "Trust in the Lord with all thine hart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him. and he shall direct thy paths."

Our young people would do well to give diligent heed to this advice and not try to map out their own course without seeking the guidance of God, or giving heed unto his Word. Jeremiah exclaims, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." How true that is! How often do our plans come to naught. So we should rec­ognize God in all our ways, then He will direct our path; direct them in such a way that we shall be richly blessed in this life, and in the hereafter have fulness of joy in the presence of the Lord.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, teach us how dependent we are upon Thee. We do not know what is good for us, nor the way we should go. Thou has shown us the way in Thy Word. May Thy Word be a light upon our path. Help us to study Thy Word. Reveal Thy will unto us from day to day and help us to pray: Not my but Thy will be done. Help us to put our whole trust in Thee and may Thy grace be sufficient for us. This we ask with the pardon of our sins, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 1 Chron. 28:9; Prov. 3:5, 6; Jer. 10:23; Ps. 16:11.

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